The state Board of Regents approved a plan to trim down the time allotted for the math exam by 20 minutes and the English assessment by 10 minutes.

As WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported, the state Department of Education said as a result of the shortened test times, fewer students will sit at their desk with nothing to do. That has been a big concern of parents who complained about too much testing in public schools.

NYS Regents Board Trims Test Times For Math, English

The DOE said many students finish the Regents exams well ahead of the allotted time.

Some educators were all for the move.

“I believe that any time they change the testing or change the length of testing, it can make a difference. Whether they shorten the test or lengthen the test, absolutely,” Mineola High School principal Ed Escobar told Xirinachs. “When they make a change, they’re making it in the best interest of the students, absolutely.”

However, some educators are critical of the shorter testing times, calling it meaningless and counterproductive.